Strength training during HIM/IM plans

Satish Punna

Hi all!

During the OS and get faster plans I added some strength training (realizing it won't make me faster, I just like to do it) , loosely following the circuits laid out in the wiki.  I did an upper body wko on off days (usually the afternoon following a short swim in the morning) and I did a lower body routine on run days, usually the morning before an evening run.  

Now that I am in the HIM plan, there are no (or few) off days, and many days have double workouts.  Does anyone keep up with any sort of strength routine, and when do you do it ?

I tried searching and found bits and pieces here and there

Gordon Cherwoniak

Satish,

I typically don't do a lot of strength training in the gym and during the higher volume times of the plan is when my strength workouts tend to drop off.  I will parcel out some time to contine some exercies for my knees usually when on the treadmill.  This also get harder and harder with the warm weather and running outside. 

I also do some core work at home on occasion and plan to hit this 3-4 nights a week this season. For me I do core when I'm feeling it but no more that 2 nights off.  I'm also adding in some tube exercies for my shoulders as I get back to swimming. 

Gordon

rmiller

For the past couple months, I made a deal with myself to do some pull-ups and pushups after every bike workout. Not a bunch - 2 sets of 20 (chair assisted) for pull ups and two sets of 20-25 pushups, but enough so that I was definitely fatiguing the muscles (I'm weak). The primary goal to keep from being so bottom heavy I mine as well be a weeble-wobble, but the secondary goal was that because I wasn't swimming, I wanted to do something to keep the lats and upper body from atrophying greatly. Figured there was only a coin-toss chance of it helping, but was worth a shot.

The reason I chose to do it after a bike workout was because I've tried saying 'ok, I'm going to do strength once/week', but I never have time/motivation for it after all the other workouts. Either that, or when I did, I'd be really sore for a few days. So I had to come up with something short enough to be able to bust out after a workout, but still often enough to actually make it worthwhile. At some point I'll have to figure out how to put more lunges and squats into my routine - maybe after every run, or something. My goal is to do at least some maintenance strength training, but without dedicating a workout day to it... so still tinkering with the mechanics of getting it done.

This morning I hit the pool for the first time in 6 months and it felt surprisingly good considering the time off. Lats were fine - pecs were a bit sore for a couple hours, but they seem fine now.

Al Truscott

Up until this year, I was trying to fit in 2 x 30 minute weight sessions per week (using a program which allowed me to get a full body workout in those 30 min). This year, I've switched to 2-3 x 30 minutes doing what I call body weight and balance work. I stretch for 7-8 minutes, do 5 x 20 push-ups, 3 x 15 single leg knee bends, and 2 x 10 dumbbell curls. I've found that doing them before swimming is a bad idea, but on the same day as hard biking or running - no problem. And when it came time to ski this winter, I noticed no fall off in the sport specific strength I needed - those single leg knee bends really help with balance and total leg strength, while the curls and push-ups maintain my body image needs.

The only thing which I don't get that I used to is hamstring work - any ideas on how to do that just using body weight (or dumbbells - heh-heh)

Satish Punna

Thanks for the input everyone! I think I,m going to try to to a whole body routine, body wt/ dumbells 20-30minutes max, 2-3x a week. Push-ups, chinups/inverted rows, biceps and shoulders, squats, lunges, deadlift variations. I already do a short core routine just about everyday.

@Al: you can exercise your hamstrings in a functional manner with bridge exercises on your back ( one leg or both) , deadlift type exercises with dumbells or exercise tubing ( can also do one legged), and lunges.

nigelfranklyn

Satish thanks for posting - i have had them same question for some time now......... It was recommended that I do the work on my run days.........

@ Al - have you considered kettle bells. Also box jumps may be worth a shot....

mgraffeo

I'm doing a short amount of strength work either immediately before or after most every run, and plan to continue doing so. Lots of things we've all seen before, planks, split squats, side lunges, etc. I find that 10' of strength before or after a run I can do regularly, and it doesn't seem to affect my workouts at all, though on the days I incorporate split squats (TRX or otherwise) my quads and posterior are definitely feeling it later in the day!

Coach Rich

The lesson here, and our guidance, is that any strength routine you do becomes counter productive when it begins to impact your ability to execute the SBR workouts. I think simple routines of pushups, pullups, some dumbell and core stuff is best but I personally don't touch my legs, at all. 

Keep it short, efficient, and something that can be fit in easily in 15-20' after a run. That's my method, anyway. 

Satish Punna

Thanks Rich, I agree keeping it simple and short is paramount.  I feel like I need to address some hip imbalance issues a bit so that is why I feel compelled to do a bit of legs (bdy wt squats, lunges, deadlifts), I might only do one set of each exercise for lower body vs 2-3 upper body sets however.  I also do the MYRTLE hip routine (look on youtube) which is, imo, a nice set of hip flexibility and strengthening movements that can be done as warmup before a run.